Dudley Council refuses plan to turn former Coseley pub into storage yard

Plans to turn a run-down former Black Country pub into a storage yard have been blocked by council officials.

Dudley Council has turned down a planning application to turn the empty Rollers Arms pub in Coseley into a self-storage centre.

A previous application to open a storage centre at the pub in Foundry Road had been approved in 2021, but permission was allowed to lapse after the scheme failed to proceed.

Council planners were told consent was previously given for 10 shipping containers to be located at the rear of the car park. But the latest plans appeared to include an additional 14 units at the front of the site, bounding the road.

The pub is believed to have closed in 2015, and has fallen into a state of disrepair. It was for a time unlawfully used as a house of multiple occupation, but enforcement action was taken after change of use was refused. 

A plan to turn the pub into a nine-bedroom hotel was also refused permission.

A report by planning officer Sarah Wilkes said under the latest proposals, the storage units would located less than 6ft behind the pavement. and would be stacked to a total height of 17ft 3in.

"The previously approved use of the site for storage purposes has lapsed, and the 14 containers proposed to the southern side of the building would appear unduly prominent and incongruous by reason of their scale, appearance, and siting to the detriment of the appearance the building, the street scene and the character and appearance of the area." she said.

"Insufficient information has been provided to fully assess the highway safety implications of the development being sought within the car park associated with the public house and whether the parking demands are met."

The applicant claimed he had been using the building to store building materials, but the report concluded that there was insufficient evidence that the previous change of use had been implemented.